Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced she has appointed former Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Commissioner James M. “Skip” Thomas to serve as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Thomas, 63, of Glastonbury, retired from state service in 2009. However, he has agreed to return on a temporary basis to replace DPS Commissioner John A. Danaher III, who was recently confirmed as a judge of the Superior Court.
In 2005, Thomas became the first-ever Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS). DEMHS was created when the Legislature combined and expanded responsibilities previously shared between the Office of Emergency Management and the Division of Homeland Security.
“Skip Thomas has impeccable credentials and has served with distinction as Commissioner of DEMHS during its critical first years,” Governor Rell said. “His integrity is respected by all and his 28 years as a police officer – including 14 years as chief – have given him tremendous insight into the opportunities and challenges that come with leadership of a large law enforcement agency. I cannot think of a better leader for the Department of Public Safety and I am grateful he is willing to take on this role.”
In February 2010, after the Kleen Energy power plant explosion in Middletown, Governor Rell appointed Thomas to chair the second of two panels investigating the blast. The Thomas panel was charged with taking the findings of the first group – chaired by Senior U.S. District Judge Alan H. Nevas – and determining what steps should be taken to prevent such accidents in the future. Thomas will continue to chair that panel in his new role as Acting Commissioner of DPS.
Thomas was chief of police in Glastonbury from 1987 to 1998 and chief in Vernon from 1984 to 1987. He began his career as a police officer in Glastonbury in 1970, rising through the ranks to lieutenant by 1984.
Thomas graduated from St. Louis University in 1969 and received his master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of New Haven in 1974. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, a certified medical rescue technician, a former president of the Connecticut Chiefs of Police Association and a retired member of the Police Association of Connecticut.
He joined the Office of Policy and Management in 1998, serving as Director of Justice Planning, the office dealing with matters ranging from homeland security planning, federal grants and hate crimes to prison crowding and probation and parole issues.
